Industrial body calls for boosting digital economy
Photo: File
Industrial economy of Pakistan should be transformed into digital economy as per Chinese model that has proved to be the best, suggested Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCJCCI) President Wang Zihai.
Speaking at a meeting of the PCJCCI think tank on Wednesday, Zihai said “we should set up integrated computing network hubs across the country to boost the digital economy and provide a fresh impetus to the sector”.
He highlighted that the data centre computing equipment would be the key accelerators for the development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and blockchain, and help fuel digital transformation and high-quality development.
Under the plan, China’s national hubs are being set up in key areas which include the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta region, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Chengdu-Chongqing city cluster, Guizhou province and Inner Mongolia autonomous region.
He recommended replicating the Chinese model in major business cities of Pakistan such as Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Hyderabad as well as the Gilgit-Baltistan region.
Speaking on the occasion, PCJCCI Senior Vice President Ehsan Choudhry said that the national computing network would boost the free flow of data and streamline the economic circulation, with the hubs playing a key role as new drivers of economic growth and supporting the national big data strategy.
China has planned to build national integrated computing network hubs as part of ongoing efforts to accelerate new infrastructure construction and promote green, high-quality development of the digital economy, he pointed out.
“We can also adopt this technique to boost the development of super-large and large-scale data centres and build data centre clusters in key regions, supporting businesses such as industrial internet, financial securities, disaster warning, telemedicine and video calls,” Choudhry said.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 1st, 2022.
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